Bulk envelope management in document management system

ABSTRACT

A document management system sends a distinct copy of a set of documents to each of a plurality of recipients in a bulk sending process. Each copy is associated with one or more actions to be taken by a corresponding recipient. The document management system generates an interface that displays, for each copy of the set of documents, the recipient of the copy and a status of the copy. The document management system receives an identification of a subset of the copies of the set of documents. The document management system performs a bulk action on each of the subset of the copies without performing the bulk action on any remaining copies of the set of documents.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure generally relates to a document management system, andmore specifically to managing a bulk sending process of copies of a setof documents using the document management system.

A document management system can enable a sending entity to send one ormore documents to a plurality of receiving entities. For example, eachreceiving entity may receive an envelope including the one or moredocuments from the sending entity. The sending entity may send theenvelope to hundreds or thousands of receiving entities at a time in abulk sending process. In current document management systems, thesending entity may have little to no insight regarding status of theenvelopes. For example, if an error occurs during the send, such as oneenvelope failed of the hundreds sent, the sending entity will need toperform a timely, manual investigation into which envelope failed tosend and why. The sending entity may wish to perform an action, such asa correction, on some or all of the envelopes. In current systems, thesending entity will need to manually select each individual envelope ofthe hundreds or thousands and perform the correction. This can be timeconsuming and can result in envelopes that needed correction beingoverlooked by the sending entity.

SUMMARY

A document management system described herein allows a sending entity tomanage sending an envelope (also referred to as a distinct copy)comprising a set of documents to each of a plurality of recipients in abulk sending process. The document management system generates aninterface that displays various information about the bulk send to thesending entity. The information may include a status of each envelope inthe bulk send, any errors that took place prior or during the send,which envelopes have been viewed by the recipients, which envelopes havebeen edited, which envelopes have been signed by the recipients, etc.The interface allows the sending entity to perform one or more actionson some or all of the envelopes. The actions may include making acorrection to an envelope or envelopes, re-sending an envelope orenvelopes, and/or voiding an envelope or envelopes.

In an implementation, the document management system sends a distinctcopy of a set of documents to each of a plurality of recipients in abulk sending process. Each copy is associated with one or more actionsto be taken by a corresponding recipient. The document management systemgenerates an interface that displays, for each copy of the set ofdocuments, the recipient of the copy and a status of the copy. Thedocument management system receives an identification of a subset of thecopies of the set of documents. The document management system performsa bulk action on each of the subset of copies without performing thebulk action on any remaining copies of the set of documents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments have other advantages and features which willbe more readily apparent from the detailed description, the appendedclaims, and the accompanying figures (or drawings). A brief introductionof the figures is below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment in which a documentmanagement system operates, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a document management system, in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIG. 3A illustrates a first example user interface for managing a bulksending process, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3B illustrates a second example user interface for managing a bulksending process, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a bulk actionon a subset of envelopes in a batch, in accordance with an embodiment.

The figures depict various example embodiments of the present technologyfor purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following description that other alternativeembodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may beemployed without departing from principles of the technology describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description relate to preferredembodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that fromthe following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures andmethods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viablealternatives that may be employed without departing from the principlesof what is claimed.

Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted thatwherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used inthe figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figuresdepict embodiments of the disclosed system (or method) for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following description that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles described herein.

System Environment Overview

A system environment enables a sending entity to create and senddocuments to a plurality of receiving entities for negotiation,collaborative editing, electronic execution (e.g., electronicsignature), automation of contract fulfilment, archival, and analysis,among other tasks. Within the system environment, a receiving entity mayreview content and/or terms presented in a document, and in response toagreeing to the content and/or terms, can electronically execute thedocument. In some embodiments, the sending entity generates a distinctcopy (also referred to as an envelope) of a set of documents to provideto each of the plurality of receiving entities in a bulk sendingprocess. The bulk sending process allows the sending entity to generateand send a batch of copies to a plurality of receiving entities whereeach receiving entity receives a distinct copy of the set of documents.For example, the sending entity may generate a batch to include athousand distinct copies to provide to a thousand distinct receivingentities.

Within the system environment, the sending entity may view informationabout the batch including a status of the batch, a status of each copywithin the batch, any errors that took place prior or during the bulksend, which copies have been viewed by a corresponding receiving entity,which copies have been edited by a corresponding receiving entity, whichcopies have been executed by a corresponding recipient, etc. The sendingentity can perform one or more actions both individually and in bulk onthe copies within a batch. The actions may include making a correctionto a copy or a subset of copies, re-sending a copy or a subset ofcopies, and/or voiding a copy or a subset of copies. It should also benoted that “receiving entity”, “recipient”, “acting entity”, and othersimilar terminology are used interchangeably herein.

The system environment described herein can be implemented within adocument management system, a centralized document system, an onlinedocument system, or any type of digital management platform. It shouldbe noted that although description may be limited in certain contexts toa particular environment, this is for the purposes of simplicity only,and in practice the principles described herein can apply more broadlyto the context of any digital management platform. Examples can includebut are not limited to online signature systems, online documentcreation and management systems, collaborative document and workspacesystems, online workflow management systems, multi-party communicationand interaction platforms, social networking systems, marketplace andfinancial transaction management systems, or any suitable digitaltransaction management platform.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment in which a documentmanagement system operates, in accordance with an embodiment. The systemenvironment 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a document managementsystem 110, a sending entity 120 associated with a client device 140A, aplurality of receiving entities 130 (e.g., a receiving entity 130A, areceiving entity 130B, and a receiving entity 130C) each associated witha corresponding client device 140B, and a network 150. In alternativeconfigurations, different and/or additional components may be includedin the system environment 100.

The document management system 110 is a computer system (or group ofcomputer systems) for storing and managing documents, copies (alsoreferred to as envelopes), and/or batches of copies for a plurality ofusers (e.g., the sending entity 120 and the receiving entities 130).Using the document management system 110, the users can collaborate tocreate, edit, review, negotiate, and execute documents. A document maybe a contract, agreement, purchase order, or any other document.

Prior to execution of the documents, the document management system 110may generate a copy to include a set of documents for execution. Thedocument management system 110 may generate the copy per a request fromthe sending entity 120. The set of documents included in the copy mayinclude documents of various document types, for example contracts,purchase agreements, codes of conduct, lease agreements, bank forms,permission slips, term sheets, etc. Each document in the set ofdocuments includes document content (e.g., words, images, etc.). Inaddition to the set of documents included in each copy, a distinct setof acting entities is included in a copy. The set of acting entities maybe one or more individuals at a receiving entity 130 (e.g., at receivingentity 130A) that can perform one or more actions with respect to theset of documents. The one or more actions may include viewing, editing,declining, and/or executing the set of documents in the copy. In someembodiments, the documents (including the document content) may havebeen previously negotiated by two or more users (e.g., by the sendingentity 120 and the receiving entity 130A).

The document management system 110 may generate a copy to include a setof documents for execution by a plurality of receiving entities 130(e.g., per a request from the sending entity 120). The documentmanagement system 110 generates a batch of copies of the set ofdocuments in a bulk sending process. The document management system 100sends the batch by providing a distinct copy of the set of documents tothe receiving entity 130A, the receiving entity 130B, and the receivingentity 130C. In some embodiments, the set of documents of any or allcopies within a batch may contain some customized document content.

The document management system 100 can generate a batch of copies of aset of documents in a bulk sending process that are provided to hundredsor thousands of receiving entities 130. In order to manage any bulksending process, the document management system 110 generates aninterface (e.g., to be displayed via the client devices 140) thatdisplays information about a batch and about each copy within the batch.For example, the interface may display information about the recipientof a copy and a status of the copy. In some embodiments, the documentmanagement system 110 updates the status of the copy based on one ormore actions performed by a corresponding recipient. Information aboutthe batch displayed in the interface may additionally include a statusof the batch and/or any errors that took place prior or during the bulksend. The interface provides a means for the sending entity 120 toperform an action on a batch, on a subset of copies within a batch, oron a copy within a batch. The action performed may include making acorrection, re-sending, and/or voiding the batch, the subset of copies,or a copy.

The document management system 110 can be a server, server group orcluster (including remote servers), or another suitable computing deviceor system of devices. In some implementations, the document managementsystem 110 can communicate with client devices 140 over the network 150to receive instructions and send copies (or other information) forviewing on client devices 140. The document management system 110 willbe discussed in further detail with respect to FIG. 2.

The sending entity 120 prepares and sends copies of a set of documentsto the plurality of receiving entities 130 via the document managementsystem 110. For example, the sending entity 120 instructs the documentmanagement system 110 to prepare and send a batch of copies to theplurality of receiving entities 130 in a bulk sending process. Thesending entity 120 may be an individual, an organization, a company, agroup, an account, etc. The sending entity 120 can be associated with auser account, username, email address, or other identifier that can beused by the document management system 110 to identify the sendingentity 120 and to control the ability of the sending entity 120 to view,modify, and otherwise interact with the copy managed by the documentmanagement system 110. In some implementations, the sending entity 120can interact with the document management system 110 through their useraccount with the document management system 110 and one or more clientdevices 140 accessible to that sending entity 120. The sending entity120 may be an administrator of the copies (or batch), which may be anindividual who created the copies (or created one or more documents ofthe set of documents included in the copies) and/or who has authority toview, edit, and/or send the copies (or batch).

In an example implementation, the sending entity 120 may be a humanresource representative for an organization. The representative requeststhe document management system 110 prepare and send a batch of copies ofa set of documents related to updates to the organization's code ofconduct to a plurality of receiving entities 130 (e.g., all employeeswithin the organization). Each receiving entity 130 (each employee) willreceive a distinct copy of the set of documents. In this exampleimplementation, the set of documents in each copy of the batch may becustomized for each receiving entity 130, for example the employee'sname, hire date, and employee identification number is included withinthe document contents.

The receiving entities 130 (also referred to as recipients) receivecopies of the set of documents. Each receiving entity 130 can receive adistinct copy of the set of documents. A receiving entity 130 may be anindividual, an organization, a company, a group, an account, etc. Insome embodiments, a receiving entity 130 can be associated with a useraccount, username, email address, or other identifier that is used bythe document management system 110 to identify the receiving entity 130and to control the ability of the receiving entity 130 to view, modify,and otherwise interact with the copy and set of documents managed by thedocument management system 110. For example, a receiving entity 130 caninteract with the document management system 110 through a user accountwith the document management system 110 and one or more client devices140 accessible to that receiving entity 130. In some embodiments, thesending entity 120 and a receiving entity 130 may be associated with asame organization and/or a same company. The receiving entities 130 canperform one or more actions associated with a received copy of the setof documents. For example, a receiving entity 130 can view the copy, canedit the copy, decline the copy, and/or can execute the copy. Areceiving entity 130 may perform any of the one or more actions via thedocument management system 110.

Each client device 140 is a computing device capable of receiving userinput (for example from the sending entity 120) as well as transmittingand/or receiving data to the document management system 110 via thenetwork 150. For example, a client device 140 can be a desktop or alaptop computer, a smartphone, tablet, or another suitable device.Client devices 140 are configured to communicate via the network 150(for example, with the document management system 110). In oneembodiment, a client device 140 executes an application allowing a userof the client device 140 to interact with the document management system110. For example, a client device 140 can execute a browser applicationto enable interaction between the client device 140 and the documentmanagement system 110 via the network 150. In some embodiments, a singleuser can be associated with multiple client devices 140, and/or oneclient device 140 can be shared between multiple users who may, forexample, log into a personal account on the client device 140 to accessthe document management system 110.

The network 150 transmits data within the system environment 100. Thenetwork 150 may comprise any combination of local area and/or wide areanetworks, using both wired and/or wireless communication systems, suchas the Internet. In some embodiments, the network 150 transmits dataover a single connection (e.g., a data component of a cellular signal,or Wi-Fi, among others), and/or over multiple connections. In someembodiments, the network 150 uses standard communications technologiesand/or protocols. For example, the network 150 includes communicationlinks using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, 3G, 4G, code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), digital subscriber line (DSL), and the like.Data exchanged over the network 150 may be represented using anysuitable format, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) or extensiblemarkup language (XML). In some embodiments, the network 150 may includeencryption capabilities to ensure the security of customer data. Forexample, encryption technologies may include secure sockets layers(SSL), transport layer security (TLS), virtual private networks (VPNs),and Internet Protocol security (IPsec), among others.

Example Document Management System Architecture

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a document management system, in accordancewith an embodiment. Components of the document management system 110 maybe a combination of hardware and software. The document managementsystem 110 may include an account data store 210, an envelope data store220, and a batch management interface module 230. In variousembodiments, the document management system 110 may include fewer oradditional components that are not shown in FIG. 2. For example,conventional components such as network interfaces, security functions,load balancers, failover servers, management and network operationsconsoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure the details ofthe system architecture. The functions of the document management system110 may be distributed among the components in a different manner thandescribed.

The account data store 210 is a file storage system, database, set ofdatabases, or other data storage system storing information associatedwith accounts of the document management system 110. Entities (e.g., thesending entity 120) may be associated with one or more accounts with thedocument management system 110. In some embodiments, the receivingentities 130 are associated with accounts with the document managementsystem 110. Each account associated with an entity may includeinformation about the entity, such as information about individual(s)with access to the account, age of the account, frequency of accountuse, log of past account transactions, and the like. Information aboutthe individual(s) with access to the account may include theindividual's name, email address, address, title, role, department, andthe like.

The envelope data store 220 is a file storage system, database, set ofdatabases, or other data storage system storing information associatedwith envelopes (also referred to as copies). An entity (e.g., thesending entity 120) provides a set of documents to be included in anenvelope. An envelope can include at least one document in the set ofdocuments for execution. The at least one document may have beenpreviously negotiated by the sending entity 120 and the one or morereceiving entities 130. And, as such, the document(s) may be ready forexecution upon the creation of an envelope. The envelope may alsoinclude a set of acting entities. The set of acting entities include whocan view, edit, decline, and/or execute the document(s) included in theenvelope. In some embodiments, the set of acting entities for anenvelope is an individual. For example, a receiving entity 130A is anindividual. In alternative embodiments, the set of acting entities foran envelope is a plurality of individuals. For example, a receivingentity 130B is a group of individuals. The set of acting entities may bedesignated via recipient information (e.g., contact information for theone or more acting entities). Contact information may include a name,email address, location information, or any other suitable contactinformation. In some embodiments, an envelope may include an accesscode. The access code is a unique set of numbers, letters, symbols, orany combination thereof that is provided to the set of acting entitiesso that the set of acting entities are able to perform one or moreactions (e.g., view, edit, decline, execute) on the envelope. Withoutthe access code or by entering an incorrect access code a predeterminednumber of times (e.g., three times), the set of acting entities can notperform any action on the envelope of on the set of documents therein.

Information about an envelope stored in the envelope data store 220 mayinclude document information specific to each document of the set ofdocuments included in an envelope. For example, document information mayinclude document type, document content, and document tags. Documenttype may provide identification information about the document, such asa document name, a document hash value or other numerical identifier,and/or a document category. The document category describes a topic ofthe document and may include purchase agreement, contract, employeeagreement, bank form, permission slip, non-disclosure agreement,checklist, instruction set, code of conduct, term sheet, etc. Thedocument content is all the words, images, logos, symbols, etc. includedwithin the document. The document tags indicate which fields of thedocument need to be completed for execution (e.g., where an actingentity or acting entities should sign, date, or initial the document).

The envelope data store 220 stores information about a batch ofenvelopes. A batch of envelopes is a group of envelopes that includesubstantially similar sets of documents. Information associated with abatch stored in the envelope data store 220 may include a status of thebatch, a status of each envelope within the batch, a time correspondingto the status of each envelope (e.g., a time the status is updated), andrecipient information of each envelope.

The batch management interface module 230 provides a means for an entity(e.g., the sending entity 120) to manage a bulk sending process. Thebatch management interface module 230 may generate an interface thesending entity 120 may interact with to manage the bulk sending processfrom generating a batch, to monitoring the batch, to performing anaction on the batch, etc. The batch management interface module 230 mayinclude a batch generation engine 240, a batch monitor engine 245, abatch action engine 250, and a display engine 260. In variousembodiments, the batch management interface module 230 may include feweror additional components that are not shown in FIG. 2. The functions ofthe batch management interface module 230 may be distributed among thecomponents in a different manner than described.

The batch generation engine 240 generates a batch of envelopes for anentity (e.g., for the sending entity 120) for sending to a plurality ofdifferent recipients (e.g., the receiving entities 130). An envelope, asdescribed above, includes a set of documents for execution and a set ofacting entities. A batch of envelopes may include tens, hundreds,thousands, or more envelopes to be sent to a corresponding tens,hundreds, thousands, or more recipients. In some embodiments, an entityuploads the set of documents to the batch generation engine 240 andprovides a listing of the plurality of different recipients to generatethe batch. In alternative embodiments, an entity uploads each envelopeindividually and then instructs the batch generation engine 240 togenerate the batch.

In some embodiments, the set of documents included in each envelope ofthe batch are identical. For example, the set of documents includes twodocuments: a first document and a second document. The first documentand the second document included in a first envelope of the batchincludes identical document content when compared with the firstdocument and the second document included in all the other envelopes ofthe batch. In alternative embodiments, the set of documents included ineach envelope of the batch are substantially similar. In the sameexample, the first document and the second document in each envelope mayinclude document content customized for the particular correspondingrecipient of each envelope. Specifically, the first and second documentinclude the corresponding recipient's name as document content.

The batch generation engine 240 sends the generated batch of envelopesto the plurality of recipients during the bulk sending process. Forexample, the batch generation engine 240 sends every envelope of thebatch to its corresponding set of acting entities.

During the generation of the batch of envelopes and the sending of thebatch of envelopes, the batch monitor engine 245 tracks a status of thebatch. For example, the batch monitor engine 245 can inform the sendingentity 120 via the interface of the status. The status of the batchprovides information regarding if the bulk send is complete (e.g., thestatus of the batch is processed) or is still being generated/sent bythe batch generation engine 240 (e.g., the status of the batch isin-progress). Additionally or alternatively, the batch monitor engine245 tracks a progress of the bulk send. For example, the batch monitorengine 245 via the interface may provide information about how manyenvelopes of the batch have been generated and/or sent versus how manyenvelopes total in the batch.

The batch monitor engine 245 determines if any errors took place duringthe generation of the batch of envelopes and/or during the sending ofthe batch of envelopes. The batch monitor engine 245 may notify thesending entity 120 that an error took place via the interface. An erroris associated with an envelope and signifies that the envelope failed tobe generated, the envelope experienced an authentication failure, or theenvelope experienced a delivery failure. An envelope may fail to begenerated if the envelope's name exceeds a maximum number of characters,if the sending entity 120 forgot to add a set of acting entities (e.g.,forgot to input recipient information), if the sending entity 120 forgotto upload the set of documents, etc. An envelope may experience anauthentication fail if the corresponding receiving entity 130 enters anincorrect access code a predetermined number times when attempting toview the received envelope. An envelope may experience a deliveryfailure if the sending entity 120 enters incorrect contact informationfor a corresponding receiving entity 130 and the batch generation engine240 is unable to deliver the envelope.

In some embodiments, the batch monitor engine 245 provides arecommendation to the sending entity 120 regarding how to fix an error.The recommendation may be an error message for display on the interface.The recommendation may include a suggestion for the sending entity 120to instruct the batch action engine 250 to perform a bulk action on thebatch as described in more detail below.

The batch monitor engine 245 detects a status for each envelope in thebatch. A status of an envelope provides information about whether anenvelope is in a terminal state or in an in-progress state. A terminalstate signifies that no further actions may be taken on the envelope.For example, no further action performed by the sending entity 120 viathe batch action engine 250 as described in more detail below and/orperformed by the corresponding receiving entity 130. A status for anenvelope in the terminal state may include completed, voided, ordeclined. The batch monitor engine 245 determines the status of theenvelope to be completed after the receiving entity 130 executes (e.g.,by electronically signing) the set of documents of the envelope. Thebatch monitor engine 245 determines the status of the envelope to bevoided after the sending entity 120 via the batch action engine 250voids the envelope and/or voids the batch. The batch monitor engine 245determine the status of the envelope to be declined after a receivingentity 130 declines to execute the set of documents. An in-progressstate signifies that an action may still be taken on the envelope. Astatus for an envelope in the in-progress state may include received,viewed, or edited. The batch monitor engine 245 determines the status ofthe envelope to be received after the envelope is generated and sent bythe batch generation engine 240 with no errors. The batch monitor engine245 determines the status of the envelope to be viewed after theenvelope is generated and sent by the batch generation engine 240 withno errors and subsequently viewed by a corresponding receiving entity130. The batch monitor engine 245 determines the status of the envelopeto be viewed after the envelope is generated and sent by the batchgeneration engine 240 with no errors and subsequently edited by acorresponding receiving entity 130. A corresponding receiving entity 130may edit an envelope by editing document contents within one or moredocuments of the set of documents, by adding an acting entity to the setof acting entities, by adding a document to the set of documents, etc.

The batch monitor engine 245 updates the status of the envelope based onactions performed by either the sending entity 120 and/or the receivingentity 130. For example, the batch monitor engine 245 receives anindication that a corresponding recipient has taken an action withrespect to the corresponding envelope they received. For example, arecipient may receive the envelope and review the set of documents anddocument content of the envelope, the batch monitor engine 245 receivesan indication that the receiving entity 130 performed an action(viewing) with respect to the envelope. As such, the batch monitorengine 245 updates the status of the envelope from received to viewedbased on the indication.

The batch monitor engine 245 tracks and updates a time corresponding tothe status for each envelope in the batch. The batch monitor engine 245updates the time to reflect when the status of an envelope was updated.The time may be a date or a date and time. For example, the batchmonitor engine 245 receives an indication that a recipient executed theset of documents on Feb. 2, 2021, the batch monitor engine 245 updatesthe time to be Feb. 2, 2021 from the previous time of Jan. 2, 2021associated with the previous status of viewed.

The batch action engine 250 performs an action on a batch per a requestof the sending entity 120. The actions include making a correction,re-sending, and/or voiding. Based on the request, a correction mayinclude adding a document to the set of documents in some or allenvelopes of the batch, modifying content within one or more documents,correcting a spelling of a name of a signing entity, and the like.Re-sending may include providing one or more envelopes to theircorresponding recipients again and/or notifying the recipients of anoutstanding envelope awaiting an action (e.g., yet to be viewed and/orexecuted). Voiding may include removing one or more envelopes from viewof the corresponding recipient(s) and providing a message to each of therecipients indicating the corresponding envelope has been voided.

As described above, the batch action engine 250 can perform actions onlyon envelopes within the batch in an in-progress state (e.g., with astatus of received, viewed, or edited). Based on the statuses, the batchaction engine 250 can perform the action on the batch (on all envelopeswithin the batch), on a subset of envelopes within the batch, or on anenvelope within the batch.

The batch action engine 250 selects which envelope(s) to perform one ormore actions on based on a parameter specified by the sending entity120. The parameter may include a status parameter, a timing parameter, arecipient parameter, and a document parameter. The status parameterincludes specifying one or more particular statuses of envelopes. Forexample, the sending entity 120 specifies that a correction (action) bemade on all envelopes with the status of received (particular status).The timing parameter includes specifying a particular time thatcorresponds to the status of envelopes. For example, the sending entity120 specifies that a re-send (action) be performed on any envelope witha time prior to the particular time. The recipient parameter includesspecifying recipient information of envelopes. For example, the sendingentity 120 specifies that a correction (action) be performed on anyenvelope with particular location information (recipient information).The document parameter includes specifying document type and/or documentcontent of envelopes. For example, the sending entity 120 specifies thata void (action) be performed any envelope with a particular documentcategory (document type).

In some embodiments, the batch action engine 250 selects whichenvelope(s) to perform one or more actions on based on a combination ofparameters. For example, the sending entity 120 requests a batch re-send(action) be performed by the batch action engine 250 on any envelopeswith a status of received (status parameter) and a time of Feb. 3, 202110:30 am (time parameter). The batch action engine 250 identifiesenvelope(s) that satisfy the status parameter and the time parameter.Thus, the batch action engine 250 identifies envelope(s) of the batchthat have both a status of received and a time prior to Feb. 3, 202110:30 am. The batch action engine 250 performs a re-send on theidentified envelope(s). The batch action engine 250 sends theenvelope(s) to the corresponding recipients and notifies the recipients(e.g., via a message) that their received envelope is awaiting furtheraction from them.

In some embodiments, the sending entity 120 requests that batch actionengine 250 perform two actions (a correction and a re-send) based on anerror that took place during the generation and/or sending of the batchvia the batch generation engine 240. The batch action engine 250identifies the envelope(s) that had an error and performs a correctionon the envelope(s). For example, an envelope in the batch experienced adelivery failure due to the recipient information being incorrectlyentered during the generation of the batch. The sending entity 120 viathe batch action engine 250 corrects the recipient information. Thebatch action engine 250 performs a re-send on the corrected envelope.

The display engine 260 generates one or more interface elements (e.g.,links, buttons, checkboxes, search bars, drop-down menus, etc.) on anelectronic display of a user device 140 for a sending entity 120 orreceiving entity 130 to interact with in regard to the management of thebulk sending process. The display engine 260 may generate and displayone or more messages and/or notifications to an entity providinginformation to the entity about the bulk sending process. The displayengine 260 may provide a means for an entity to provide instruction orfeedback to the document management system 110 regarding the bulksending process. The display engine 260 and example user interfaces willbe discussed further below in relation to FIGS. 3A and 3B

Example User Interfaces

FIG. 3A illustrates a first example user interface for managing a bulksending process, in accordance with an embodiment. In alternativeconfigurations, different and/or additional components may be includedin the example user interface 300.

The first example user interface 300 displays various batches (e.g.,include a batch 310 and a batch 320) generated by the sending entity 120via the document management system 110. This user interface 300 may bedisplayed to the sending entity 120 via the display engine 260 on theclient device 140A. Each batch includes a batch name, a status of thebatch, a progress, and a date of submittal to the document managementsystem 110. For example, the batch 310 has a batch name of “New HiresJanuary 2021”, a status of the batch of in-progress, a progress of20/100 envelopes sent, and a date of submittal of Jan. 18, 2021. Inanother example, the batch 320 has a batch name of “New Benefits”, astatus of the batch of processed, a progress of 9100/9100 envelopessent, and a date of submittal of Nov. 16, 2020. The progress of batch320 designates that an envelope (i.e., 1 of the 9100 envelopes total)experienced an error in the generation or sending processes performed bythe batch generation engine 240. In order to view more information abouta particular batch (e.g., the batch 320), the sending entity 120 selectsbatch 320. The display engine 260 displays a second user interface 305presenting the information about the particular batch described in moredetail in FIG. 3B.

In some embodiments, the display engine 260 automatically updates theprogress of a batch with a status of in-progress as each envelope issent to a corresponding receiving entity 130. For example, the progressof batch 310 will increase as each envelope in the batch is successfullysent to a corresponding recipient.

The display engine 260 provides several interface elements (e.g., asearch bar 330 and a filter button 340). The sending entity 120 cansearch for a specific batch by name or by another identifier in thesearch bar 330. The sending entity 120 can filter the batches by statusor date of submittal by selecting the filter button 340.

FIG. 3B illustrates a second example user interface for managing a bulksending process, in accordance with an embodiment. In alternativeconfigurations, different and/or additional components may be includedin the example user interface 305.

The second example user interface 305 displays information about thebatch 320 generated and sent by the sending entity 120 via the documentmanagement system 110. The user interface 305 displays the envelopesincluded in the batch 320. Only four of the envelopes are presented inFIG. 3B; however, all envelopes included in the batch 320 could bedisplayed in the interface 305.

The display engine 260 provides several interface elements (e.g., asearch bar 350 and a filter button 360). The sending entity 120 cansearch for a specific envelope by name or by another identifier in thesearch bar 350. The sending entity 120 can filter the envelopes withinthe batch 320 by status or a time that corresponds to the status byselecting the filter button 360. The display engine 260 notifies thesending entity of an error that occurred during the generation orsending of the batch 320 by displaying message 370. The message 370includes an interface element (e.g., a link 375) the sending entity 120may select to learn about which envelope experienced an error and, insome embodiments, how to fix the error.

The user interface 305 displays statuses 380 for the envelopes in thebatch (e.g., declined completed, received, and viewed). The statuses 380may be utilized by the document management system 110 to select a subsetof envelopes to perform one or more actions on (e.g., a void onenvelopes with statuses of received or viewed). The user interface 305displays times 385 for the envelopes in the batch. The times 385correspond to a time when the status of the envelope was updated. Thetimes 385 may be utilized by the document management system 110 toselect a subset of envelopes to perform one or more actions on (e.g., acorrection and a re-send on envelopes with a time prior to Jan. 10,2021).

The user interface 305 displays actions to be performed on the subset ofenvelopes in a drop-down menu 390 (i.e., an interface element). Forexample, the sending entity 120 may select from the drop-down menu 390 avoid action. In some embodiments, additional user interfaces may bedisplayed by the display engine 260 to the sending entity 120 requestingone or more parameters in order to identify the subset of envelopes thevoid action is performed on by the batch action engine 250.

Process for Performing Bulk Action

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a bulk actionon a subset of envelopes in a batch, in accordance with an embodiment.The process 400 shown in FIG. 4 may be performed by components of adocument management system (e.g., the document management system 110).Other entities may perform some or all of the steps in FIG. 4 in otherembodiments. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the process400 illustrated in FIG. 4 can include fewer, additional, or differentsteps that those described herein.

The document management system sends 410 a distinct copy (also referredto as an envelope) of a set of documents to each of a plurality ofrecipients (e.g., the plurality of receiving entities 130) in a bulksending process. The bulk sending process may be initiated by a user(e.g., the sending entity 120) requesting to create a batch of copies ofthe set of documents to be sent to the plurality of recipients. Eachcopy of the set of documents is associated with one or more actions tobe taken by a corresponding recipient. For example, a recipient may viewthe copy of the set of documents, may edit the copy of the set ofdocuments, may decline the copy of the set of documents, and/or mayexecute the copy of the set of documents.

The document management system generates 420 an interface that displays,for each copy of the set of documents, the recipient of the copy and astatus of the copy. The status provides the sending entity withinformation about whether a recipient has performed and or has yet toperform an action associated with the copy. For example, the status ofthe copy may be completed to signify to the sending entity that the copyhas been executed by the recipient. The status of the copy may bereceived to signify to the sending entity that the copy has been sent tothe recipient and the recipient still has yet to perform any actioncorresponding to the copy. The status may be declined to signify to thesending entity that the copy was declined by the recipient (e.g., due tothe recipient not wanting to sign the copy). In some embodiments, thestatus provides the sending entity with information about whether thesending entity performed an action associated with the copy. Forexample, the status of the copy may be voided to signify to the sendingentity that the sending entity has voided the copy. By voiding the copy,the corresponding receiving entity no longer has any action to performassociated with the copy.

The document management system receives 430 an identification of asubset of the copies of the set of documents. In some embodiments, theidentification of the subset of the copies of the set of documents isbased on the status of the copies. For example, a sending useridentifies a status of viewed, thereby resulting in the identificationof the subset of the copies including only copies with the status ofviewed. In this embodiments, the identification of the subset of thecopies is based on a status parameter. In other embodiments, theidentification of the subset of the copies is based on one or more otherparameters. For example, the document management system may select thesubset of the copies based on a timing parameter, a recipientparameters, and/or a document parameter. The timing parameter isselecting copies from the batch that satisfy a specified time (e.g., atime associated with the status of the copies). The recipient parameteris selecting copies from the batch that satisfy specified recipientinformation (e.g., location information). The document parameter isselecting copies from the batch that satisfy specified document typeand/or document content (e.g., a document category, a dollar amount,etc.).

The document management system performs 440 a bulk action on each of thesubset of the copies without performing the bulk action on any remainingcopies of the set of documents. A bulk action may be a bulk void, a bulkre-send, or a bulk correction. The bulk void removes each of the subsetof the copies from view of the corresponding recipient. The bulk re-sendprovides each of the subset of the copies to the correspondingrecipients again. The bulk correction adds and/or removes documents,recipients, etc. from the subset of the copies.

Additional Considerations

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for thepurpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe patent rights to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in therelevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations arepossible in light of the above disclosure.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information.These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance oftheir work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations,while described functionally, computationally, or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalentelectrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has alsoproven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operationsas modules, without loss of generality. The described operations andtheir associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware,hardware, or any combinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments may also relate to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, and/or it may comprise a general-purpose computingdevice selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer programstored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in anon-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, or any typeof media suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may becoupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, any computer system 500 sreferred to in the specification may include a single processor or maybe architectures employing multiple processor designs for increasedcomputing capability.

Embodiments may also relate to a product that is produced by a computingprocess described herein. Such a product may comprise informationresulting from a computing process, where the information is stored on anon-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium and mayinclude any embodiment of a computer program product or other datacombination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the patent rights. It istherefore intended that the scope of the patent rights be limited not bythis detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of thepatent rights, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: sending, by a documentmanagement system, a distinct copy of a set of documents to each of aplurality of recipients in a bulk sending process, each copy isassociated with one or more actions to be taken by a correspondingrecipient; generating, by the document management system, an interfacethat displays, for each copy of the set of documents, the recipient ofthe copy and a status of the copy; receiving, by the document managementsystem, an identification of a subset of the copies of the set ofdocuments; and performing, by the document management system, a bulkaction on each of the subset of the copies without performing the bulkaction on any remaining copies of the set of documents.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more actions to be taken by the recipientinclude: viewing the copy of the set of documents, editing the copy ofthe set of documents, and executing the copy of the set of documents. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the copy includes one of:completed, voided, declined, received, viewed, and edited.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the document managementsystem, an indication that the corresponding recipient has taken anaction; and based on the indication, updating, by the documentmanagement system, the status of the copy.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving, by the document management system, anotification indicating that a copy of the set of documents failed tosend to a recipient; generating, by the document management system, anerror message to display on the interface informing a user that the copyfailed to send and why the copy failed to send; and performing, by thedocument management system, a correction to the copy of the set ofdocuments, and wherein the subset of the copies of the set of documentsincludes the corrected copy of the set of documents, and wherein thebulk action is a re-send of the subset of the copies of the set ofdocuments.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving theidentification of the subset of the copies of the set of documentscomprises: selecting, by the document management system, the subset ofthe copies based on one or more parameters specified by a user.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the one or more parameters include: a statusparameter, a timing parameter, a recipient parameter, and a documentparameter.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more parametersinclude a status parameter and a document parameter, wherein the bulkaction is a bulk void, and wherein performing the bulk action on each ofthe subset of the copies comprises: removing, by the document managementsystem, each of the subset of the copies from view of the correspondingrecipient; and providing, by the document management system, a messageto each of the recipients indicating the copy of the set of documentshas been voided.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or moreparameters include a timing parameter, and wherein the bulk action is abulk re-send, and wherein performing the bulk action on each of thesubset of the copies comprises: re-sending, by the document managementsystem, each of the subset of the copies to the correspondingrecipients; and providing, by the document management system, a messageto each of the recipients reminding each recipient to execute the copyof the set of documents.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the bulkaction includes one of: a bulk void, a bulk re-send, and a bulkcorrection.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring executable instructions that, when executed by a hardwareprocessor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising: sending, bya document management system, a distinct copy of a set of documents toeach of a plurality of recipients in a bulk sending process, each copyis associated with one or more actions to be taken by a correspondingrecipient; generating, by the document management system, an interfacethat displays, for each copy of the set of documents, the recipient ofthe copy and a status of the copy; receiving, by the document managementsystem, an identification of a subset of the copies of the set ofdocuments; and performing, by the document management system, a bulkaction on each of the subset of the copies without performing the bulkaction on any remaining copies of the set of documents.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to perform steps comprising:receiving, by the document management system, an indication that thecorresponding recipient has taken an action; and based on theindication, updating, by the document management system, the status ofthe copy.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor toperform steps comprising: receiving, by the document management system,a notification indicating that a copy of the set of documents failed tosend to a recipient; generating, by the document management system, anerror message to display on the interface informing a user that the copyfailed to send and why the copy failed to send; and performing, by thedocument management system, a correction to the copy of the set ofdocuments, and wherein the subset of the copies of the set of documentsincludes the corrected copy of the set of documents, and wherein thebulk action is a re-send of the subset of the copies of the set ofdocuments.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein receiving the identification of the subset of thecopies of the set of documents comprises: selecting, by the documentmanagement system, the subset of the copies based on one or moreparameters specified by a user.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more parameters include:a status parameter, a timing parameter, a recipient parameter, and adocument parameter.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 14, wherein the one or more parameters include a statusparameter and a document parameter, wherein the bulk action is a bulkvoid, and wherein performing the bulk action on each of the subset ofthe copies comprises: removing, by the document management system, eachof the subset of the copies from view of the corresponding recipient;and providing, by the document management system, a message to each ofthe recipients indicating the copy of the set of documents has beenvoided.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim14, wherein the one or more parameters include a timing parameter, andwherein the bulk action is a bulk re-send, and wherein performing thebulk action on each of the subset of the copies comprises: re-sending,by the document management system, each of the subset of the copies tothe corresponding recipients; and providing, by the document managementsystem, a message to each of the recipients reminding each recipient toexecute the copy of the set of documents.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the bulk actionincludes one of: a bulk void, a bulk re-send, and a bulk correction. 19.A document management system comprising a hardware processor and anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by the hardware processor, cause the documentmanagement system to perform steps comprising: sending a distinct copyof a set of documents to each of a plurality of recipients in a bulksending process, each copy is associated with one or more actions to betaken by a corresponding recipient; generating an interface thatdisplays, for each copy of the set of documents, the recipient of thecopy and a status of the copy; receiving an identification of a subsetof the copies of the set of documents; and performing a bulk action oneach of the subset of the copies without performing the bulk action onany remaining copies of the set of documents
 20. The document managementsystem of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause thecentralized document system to perform steps comprising: receiving, bythe document management system, a notification indicating that a copy ofthe set of documents failed to send to a recipient; generating, by thedocument management system, an error message to display on the interfaceinforming a user that the copy failed to send and why the copy failed tosend; and performing, by the document management system, a correction tothe copy of the set of documents, and wherein the subset of the copiesof the set of documents includes the corrected copy of the set ofdocuments, and wherein the bulk action is a re-send of the subset of thecopies of the set of documents.